Hokage
by hitori.no.boku
Summary: "I can't stay sensei. I can't be Hokage."


Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

"_When the sun goes down, I scream loud, I'll sleep when I die. But I will never die. My legacy is alive."_

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><p>"So, it's over. You finally did it."<p>

The sun was setting over Konohagakure. Dying rays of light illuminated the city, flickering beneath the oncoming shadows of the evening.

Kakashi stood atop the Hokage monument, gazing out of the rebuilding Konohagakure. They'd won, finally. It had come at a price, but they'd done it. They'd defeated Madara, defeated the tailed beast. The alliance had finally crushed the greatest threat the shinobi world had ever seen. And it was all thanks to the blonde sitting before him, the container of the tailed beats. And, the newly nominated Hokage. Uzumaki Naruto.

Naruto held a drink in his hand, and he raised it to his lips, the bitter taste of celebratory sake burning his tongue.

"Yeah…Hokage", he murmured, looking at the swirling liquid in his glass.

Kakashi had invited him here to drink to his nomination, to celebrate the achievement of something Naruto had always wanted, always strived for. And yet, as the silver haired man sipped his sake, he could tell something was very wrong with his student. It was the hunch in Naruto's posture, the shiftiness in his eyes and the way his smile fell flat.

And of course, the obvious pack and large scroll tied in a bundle sitting beside the blonde atop the Sandaime's head. Kakashi eyed them both, before casually venturing his thoughts forward.

"Interesting pack you've got there", he remarked.

The blonde shifted uncomfortably.

"Yeah…"

Kakashi had expected more words from the blonde and if it surprised him to receive such a nonchalant response, he didn't show it. He already knew where this was going.

"You won't accept, will you?" he drawled.

The silence that followed his question was palpable.

There was a long, pregnant pause, and Naruto finally whispered.

"I'm leaving sensei."

Silence.

"Oh?" Kakashi questioned, but in his mind the wheels were already turning. He knew. And watching Naruto he realized that the blonde knew he knew. They'd both known since the final battle, since their triumph over Madara, since Sasuke had returned.

Kakashi sighed, sipping from his drink again. He could feel the impending headache, the impending heartbreak sinking in his chest.

Naruto was **leaving**.

The blonde watched his sensei carefully, wary of the older man's reaction. But Kakashi was silent, one visible eye staring steadily into the sunset.

"I can't stay sensei. I can't be Hokage" he said, the words spilling from his mouth in a jumbled rush. It was something he'd been needing to say for a long time. And it felt so right to confess to his treasured mentor.

Kakashi merely tilted his head, indicating he was listening. He sipped from his drink again, mask hanging loose around his neck. Naruto took a deep breath

"The world needs my help. I can feel it, just like the Rikudou could. The world is talking to me… I need to be out there! I can't do that here. My destiny is beyond these walls sensei, not stuck behind a desk wasting away."

The words were flowing freely from his lips now, and Kakashi just listened.

"All my life I wanted to be Hokage", Naruto continued, "All my life I wanted to be accepted, to be recognized. I finally achieved that. But there's bigger, more important things out there than being Nanadaime. The world is calling my name Kaka-sensei. I realize that now."

Kakashi nodded absently. It was something he'd known for so long. Naruto had just finally figured it out.

"I see. You mean to fulfill Jiraiya's dream", murmured the silver haired man.

Naruto's eyes glowed in the dying day, alight with the golden power of sage chakra.

"Yes. Peace for the world. It's idealistic I know bu-"

Kakashi's hand came up to cut short an explanation.

"There's no need to plead your case to me Naruto" the copy nin said, eyes still gazing out into the dying Konoha day. Naruto was too big for the world. Too much for just the Leaf to contain. He was meant for something more. Meant for something greater than just being another Hokage. Kakashi had known this for a very, very long time. Naruto was an unstoppable force of nature that could not be contained in the simple body of a shinobi.

Silence fell between teacher and student. Naruto placed his drink down on top of the Sandaime's head, legs swinging off the top of the hewn stone. He took a deep breath.

"Tell them I'm sorry. Tell Baa-chan I wish…I wish I could have been Hokage. Tell Hinata not to wait for me. And tell the team…" he trailed off.

Kakashi gave him a sideways glance.

"Maa, I have to be your messenger?" he drawled.

The blonde had the decency to blush, head tilting down for a moment. Kakashi chuckled, coming to sit beside the blonde.

"I'll tell them the truth Naruto. It's what they would have wanted. They'll probably yell and scream and try to kill me. But they will understand, eventually", said the silver haired man, mind wandering to his two other students. Their reactions would be violent. Perhaps Sasuke would insist on chasing Naruto down. Kakashi smiled bitterly; what a role reversal that would be.

Naruto watched his teacher think, he too thinking of the village's reaction. Would they hate him? Would they hunt him down? Baa-chan would never let them, yet, it was always a possibility… The blonde shook his head, burning those thoughts in his mind. He had to do this. It was now or never.

"Goodbye Kakashi-sensei, I'll be back someday"

A sad smile tugged at the corners of Kakashi's mouth.

"Don't promise me things you can't keep Naruto."

The blonde gazed at Kakashi sadly, and shook his head. He looked around, eyes taking in the magnificent Village Hidden in Leaf one last time. Naruto took a deep breath. His eyes focusing on the Hokage tower.

"I won't forget you, Kakashi-sensei", he whispered. The jounin merely eye smiled, ruffling the blonde's hair. They both stood slowly, their drinks forgotten on the top of the Third's head.

"I don't know if I could forget you if I tried, Naruto" the silver haired man murmured. Kakashi placed his hand on the square of Naruto's back and pushed lightly.

"Now, go" he said forcefully. The blue eyed blonde glanced at him once more, a watery smile coming to his face. He turned away quickly, hand coming up to wipe his eyes.

And then he walked away.

He stepped once, then twice. Kakashi lifted his headband, cloth sliding up over Obito's last eye. The slowly spinning sharingan burned the image of Naruto into his mind.

A tall boy, no, a man, with a shaggy mop of yellow hair walking away into the light. A flicker and then the yellow flash of hiraishin. So reminiscent of…

This time, Kakashi actually smiled with more than his eye.

Silence fell and the wind gusted around the copy nin. He turned his gaze back to the village, his steps tracing over the Hokage monument. Finally, he found himself atop the head of the Fourth. He was silent for a moment, gathering his thoughts.

"Are you happy, sensei?"

The unsmiling visage of the Yondaime said nothing. Kakashi just tilted his head up, gazing at the dying sun. It was the impending end of an age, he thought as he slipped his hands into his pockets. He was getting old. He could feel it in his bones at thirty and change. It was the end of an era. And yet… The image of Naruto's golden chakra flashed in his mind, blue eyes wild with energy, rasengan humming in his grasp.

And yet with the end of an era comes the beginning of another. Perhaps an era of peace. Kakashi chuckled low to himself. Maybe he could finally retire?

The image of the blonde sparked in his mind again.

"Ja-ne, Naruto", he whispered.

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><p>The End<p>

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><p>AN: My first 'Naruto' story was about Kakashi and Naruto. It was only fitting that I close with something<p>

similar.


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